2008 Woodie Awards
Students exercise caution when Facebooking
Cristina Gastador
Issue date: 12/1/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
At least some UTC students are concerned about what they post on their Facebook profiles, fearing they may get into trouble with campus authorities.
Facebook is a Web site that allows students to post their photos and biographical information to share with other students.
Facebook is not regulated by any authority on campus, said Derek Gosma, a Kingsport, Tenn., junior and founder of Facebook at UTC.
Gosma compiled UTC's application to the national Web site, which then gave UTC students the ability to post on the site.
Facebook management allows participants to report profiles containing pornographic pictures and inappropriate or offensive content to their management.
Johnson Village Apartments resident director Travis Overton, a Chattanooga graduate student, said he does not think Facebook should be used as a monitoring tool on students for campus authorities.
Panhellenic president-elect Sharon Saville, a Red Bank, Tenn., senior, said earlier this semester sororities got in trouble for inappropriately posting members' Greek affiliations during rush.
Some Greek members allegedly wrote on Facebook profiles, asking women to join their sorority or they would no longer be friends, she said.
Students involved with Facebook are able to join online groups such as Parties at UTC Place are Fun … Until the Cops Come and Everyone Scatters and Drunk Dialers Anonymous.
Overton said he cannot use Facebook to "write up" residents for underage drinking.
"I would not want my residents to feel uncomfortable approaching me, thinking their resident director will write them up because of what I saw or read on Facebook," Overton said.
Gosma said just because students join these groups does not mean they are bad people.
"I think if UTC wants to use Facebook against students in a disciplinary manner, then that is just ridiculous and ignorant," Gosma said.
Students should only be careful about posting their room and phone numbers online because that information is out there for everyone to see, he said.
Facebook is a Web site that allows students to post their photos and biographical information to share with other students.
Facebook is not regulated by any authority on campus, said Derek Gosma, a Kingsport, Tenn., junior and founder of Facebook at UTC.
Gosma compiled UTC's application to the national Web site, which then gave UTC students the ability to post on the site.
Facebook management allows participants to report profiles containing pornographic pictures and inappropriate or offensive content to their management.
Johnson Village Apartments resident director Travis Overton, a Chattanooga graduate student, said he does not think Facebook should be used as a monitoring tool on students for campus authorities.
Panhellenic president-elect Sharon Saville, a Red Bank, Tenn., senior, said earlier this semester sororities got in trouble for inappropriately posting members' Greek affiliations during rush.
Some Greek members allegedly wrote on Facebook profiles, asking women to join their sorority or they would no longer be friends, she said.
Students involved with Facebook are able to join online groups such as Parties at UTC Place are Fun … Until the Cops Come and Everyone Scatters and Drunk Dialers Anonymous.
Overton said he cannot use Facebook to "write up" residents for underage drinking.
"I would not want my residents to feel uncomfortable approaching me, thinking their resident director will write them up because of what I saw or read on Facebook," Overton said.
Gosma said just because students join these groups does not mean they are bad people.
"I think if UTC wants to use Facebook against students in a disciplinary manner, then that is just ridiculous and ignorant," Gosma said.
Students should only be careful about posting their room and phone numbers online because that information is out there for everyone to see, he said.
